lance armstrong: it's about the bike a livestrong auction

after returning to professional cycling this year to address the global cancer burden, cyclist lance armstrong wanted to find a way in which to engage the creative community in his mission. he invited six different visual artists to customize his trek racing bikes as a means of raising awareness for the stages art show which benefits his foundation livestrong which supports cancer research – that debuted in paris during the tour de france.

presented in conjunction with nike and featuring more than 20 of the worlds most important established and upcoming artists, the stage art show brought these creatives together in a visual dialogue about cancer – a disease which is expected to be the leading cause of death globally in 2010.

last night sotheby’s held the ‘its about the bike: a live strong auction’, auctioning off the bikes, with funds raised to benefit the livestrong foundation.

‘I’m not a gearhead, and my garage is anything but a cycling museum, but I can honestly say that letting go of my bikes has never been harder. from damien hirst’s masterpiece tour de france ‘finale’ trek madone covered in real butterflies, to the kaws ‘chompers’ cycle that I broke my collarbone on in the vuelta castilla y león, every ride is a treasured piece of personal history that I’m proud to offer up to benefit livestrong.‘ – LA

the artists armstrong invited to participate were: shepard fairey, damien hirst, kaws, yoshitomo nara, marc newson and kenny scharf.

bike art by shepard fairey all images courtesy of sotheby’s

best known these days for his barack obama ‘hope’ poster, shepard fairey used the now iconic yellow and black livestrong colorway and wrapped the bike and bontrager rims, used during the 2009 giro d’italia with intricate filigree patterns reminiscent of the classical architectural details found throughout italy.

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lance riding the bike during the 2009 giro d’italia and applying the filigree to the frame

bike art by damien hirst

damien hirst has made a name for himself amongst the art world, rising to the top on his own terms. one of his most popular works is a giant classical stained glass window composed entirely of metallic-colored bodies of once living butterflies. as a means of giving armstrong an extra boost in this year’s tour de france, hirst customzed a trek madone from frame to bontrager rims, in an array of real butterflies, creating a repeat pattern of the creatures. here, hirst has used a bright, shocking pink in replacement of the livestrong yellow, a color that can be read more easily at any distance or speed.

detail of real butterflies applied to the frame and rims of the bike

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bike art by yoshitomo nara

yoshitomo nara is one of japan’s most influential contemporary art stars, known for his images of children with a cute demeanor participating in dark and brooding activities. to pay homage to lance’s renewed racing career, nara transformed this trek TTX bike used for the july 23rd annency time trials, with a motif of his cartoon children wearing boxing gloves and piloting UFO’s with the words ‘livestrong’ written in bubble-cloud lettering. the artist also included an inspirational message which is handwritten across the bike’s frame: ‘never forget your beginner’s spirit’, visible only to armstrong as his head is deep in an aerodynamic tuck.

yoshitomo’s bike illustrations

bike art by kaws

to celebrate armstrong’s participation in the 2009 milan-sanremo race, kaws appled a classic paint scheme used in vintage racing bikes for the ‘daily driver’ trek madone. a distinct teeth pattern was added to the bike’s frame and wheels in kaws’ pop manner. the wheels became two mouths, transforming the bike into a road-gobbling cartoon character. the bike served lance well during that race, but shortly after during his participation in the vuelta castilla y león race with the same bike, he was involved in a crash in which he fractured his clavicle.

graphic details

bike art by kenny scharf

the bike pop artist kenny scharf injected with his artistic style was the one used during lance’s run in the centennial edition of the giro d’italia. here, scharf has transformed the trek TTX time trial bike into a space travelling machine, emblazoned with a field of stars and planets, with red and blue comet characters streaking across the frame and wheels.

detail of red and blue comet characters

bike art by marc newson

a designer who has worked with such companies as nike ford, capellini, qantas and dom pérignon, marc newson was assigned the bike lance used in his first run on the tour de france after retiring from professional racing three years ago. his 2009 opening time trial was one of the most high-profile moments in armstrong’s comeback and newson has commemorated the occasion by applying a graphic treatment of flat black paint, offset by glossy details such as the stroboscopic rear wheel, which appears to pulse as it spins to the trek TTX.

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a look at the stroboscopic rear wheel’s pulsating visual

california 1274 ‘stolen bike’upon lance armstrong’s return to professional cycling, two bikes were designed by trek for armstrong’s competition in his first ever tour of california race in february – 1274/27.5 madone 6.9 and TTX 9.9 SSL, meant to serve as messaging machines and road warriors. the number 1274 signifies the number of days armstrong was in retirement followed by the number 27.5, indicating the millions of people who died from cancer worldwide during this time.

graphically, the bikes are works of art and represent trek’s aesthetic engineering. the paint schemes designed by trek and painted using a series of paint masks to apply each letter logo and design element, during a 40-hour process. on february 15, 2009 the TTX was stolen from lance’s equipment trailer in sacramento after his tour of california prologue, and recovered shortly after just in time for his time trial, however, a replacement back-up was issued as a precaution. on it was painted ‘ride this one like YOU stole it.’